Flower Petals
by Demented Insane Spirit
Summary: Roger is a negotiator, a tomato. Angel loves him, but he loves Dorothy, who reacts oddly around Angel and Roger doesn’t want to ruin what he has with Angel, if anything.


DIS: This is my first time writing a Big O fic, so please don't kill me if Dorothy isn't in character. It's hard to write a person who has no feelings and is an android. Anyway, please read below and enjoy.

Title: Flower Petals 

_Genre: Romance/Drama_

_Rating: R, just because_

_Summary: Roger is a negotiator, a tomato. Angel loves him, but he loves Dorothy, who reacts oddly around Angel and Roger doesn't want to ruin what he has with Angel, if anything._

_Notes/Warnings: First time on a Big O fic. Angel/Roger/Dorothy, somewhat._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Big O_

Beauty, as they call it, is a virtue. I've always been beautiful, or so people have said. Memories. I've been searching for mine for so long. On that night when the Union was singing, I had thought to myself, beside Roger, I love him. He's the one that will help me uncover my memories. How foolish I was to think so. When Alan almost killed Dorothy, guess who came to the rescue? Roger did. I knew that Alan, Dunstun(sp?) and I knew how Roger felt about that android. Everyone knew. Roger came to the rescue for her all the time. I was afraid that maybe what had happened near the lake was an infatuation for me. Maybe Roger had been lying or is a player, I don't know, but I was afraid of what was happening...To me and everyone around me...

"Roger." Roger Smith, the negotiator in Paradime city opened one eye to see Dorothy standing above him, emotionless, with breakfast. He had once been an officer and Dunstun never failed to point out to him that he was a negotiator now, not an officer. "Breakfast."

"Dorothy," Roger sighed, sitting up as she sat the tray on his lap, "can't you feed me later?"

"I'm not feeding you though, Roger." Dorothy pointed out judiciously. "I am _serving_ you the food. Eat. You have a visitor."

"Who?" For a long time, he was staring at Dorothy, before she answered, almost enigmatically.

"Angel." Dorothy turned and left the room, silent. Roger blinked, watching her. He sighed and poked at the food.

"I wonder who made this: Norman or Dorothy?" He shrugged and began eating his well-nourishing meal.

"Angel, what are you doing here so early?" Roger asked as he stepped into the room, adjusting his tie. She turned from the many hourglasses on the tables.

"I wanted to come and see if you might like to go out with me sometime for lunch or something." Angel asked, smiling lightly.

"Roger." They both turned to see Dorothy holding the phone. "Alex is on the phone."

"Tell him I'm with a client." Roger told her, dismissing the memory-seeking rich guy.

"……" Without a word, Dorothy hung up the phone with a loud slam.

"Dorothy!" Roger exclaimed, his eyes widening. _Why is she behaving like this?_

"He'll understand." Dorothy said, turning and leaving to the kitchen.

"Dorothy, who called?"

"Alex."

"Is Roger taking the call?"

"No."

"I see."

"Would you like help making lunch, Norman?"

"Thank you, Dorothy, I'd like that. Why don't you chop those up and put them in the hot water? It should be boiling by now..."

"Yes, Norman."

After Angel had left, he went in the dining room, where Dorothy was shuffling cards.

"What are you playing?" he asked casually.

"Solitaire. Norman taught me how to play it. Can two people play?"

"No, only one." They were silent as she shuffled them once more, before setting them out in 7 stacks. "Why did you slam the phone, Dorothy?"

"You don't like him do you?"

"No, but-"

"Then why are you upset?" Dorothy stopped playing the game and turned to him with the same blank face she always had.

"It's...Complicated." Roger said, sighing.

"Humans are very complicated." Dorothy concurred. "They have many emotions that I do not understand. Anger, shock, depression, optimism, and so many others." Dorothy flipped a card over, showing 9 of spades.

"Dorothy, why do act that way with Angel?"

"What do you mean?"

"Whenever Angel comes over, you're more...Temperamental."

"I cannot have emotions." Dorothy told him.

"Dorothy!"

"Yes, Roger?" She turned her eyes to him, but he realized he had nothing to say.

"Are...Androids' bodies human?" Dorothy stopped everything she was doing, her hand posed over a card she needed to flip over.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know." Roger sighed, sitting back. Dorothy dropped her hand to her lap.

"Do you mean can we have sex?" Roger stared at her, his face beginning to flush.

"Who said anything about sex!"

"Norman explained it all to me," Dorothy continued, ignoring his question, "and I don't believe that we androids can." Roger sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Is that a disappointment to you?"

"Why should it be?"

"I don't know." Dorothy flipped a card over showing the Ace of Diamonds. "There are many things I don't understand. I am glad to be able to ask you or Norman."

"Yeah," Roger stood up, "it's good that you are."

"I merely thought Dorothy might like to know what it is." Norman said calmly.

"What, you thought she'd be _interested_ in sex? She's not even interested in-" When Norman raised his eyebrows, Roger shut up. "I still don't think you should have said anything."

"Oh well, she knows now."

"So she does."

Riiiiing, riiiiing!

"Hello?" Norman answered, stirring soup. "Oh hello Angel. Yes, he's right here." Roger took the phone, sighing and glancing at the door to the dining room. He slid into the dining room and saw a card flutter to the ground, the table and cards abandoned.

"Angel?" Roger said into the phone. "I'm going to have to call you back, okay?"

"All right." Angel replied.

"Bye." Roger tossed the phone at Norman, who hung it up serenely. Roger hurried to find Dorothy.

Dorothy walked down the street, watching the happy couples laugh and smile. _Norman mentioned love. What is 'love'? Is it what my father and I had?_

"Dorothy!" _Is it when you hug someone and do something for them?_ "Dorothy, wait!" _I wonder what it feels like to be in love..._Dorothy felt a firm hand on her shoulder and she stopped, turning to Roger, who was catching his breath. "Why didn't you stop when I called your name?" Roger demanded when he caught his breath.

"I did not hear you." Dorothy confirmed.

"Dorothy, I was shouting at the top of my lungs, how could you not hear me?"

"I don't know. I was thinking."

"Thinking?" Roger leaned against the wall, sighing. "About what?"

"Love." Roger stiffened and glanced at her.

"Is that so."

"What is love, Roger?"

"It's..." Roger gazed at Dorothy for a long time. He couldn't say, 'It's what I feel for you'. Then she would be even more confused. "It's when you feel very close to someone and can't be without them."

"I feel very close to you, Roger." Dorothy pointed out. "And I don't think I could be without you. Does that mean I love you?"

"It goes much deeper than that, Dorothy. You'll have to figure it out by yourself."

"What do you mean by 'deeper'?"

"Well...Being in love with someone you're not related to means that you would want to marry them, make love with them, and have children. Sometimes there's love when you're just really good friends with someone or brotherly/sisterly love."

"……"

"And of course there is the family-relative love too."

"Like for your father?"

"Yes."

"Do you love anyone, Roger?"

"I...Don't know." Roger lied. "Come on, Dorothy, let's go home." Dorothy followed him, her hand closed inside of his.

"Norman?" Dorothy asked hesitantly, folding towels with him. "If you care for someone, feel close and don't believe that you can live without them, does that mean you love them?"

"Why do you ask, Dorothy?"

"Because that is what I feel for Roger. I shouldn't be able to feel things, Norman."

"I think you may feel so close to Roger because he is sheltering you and he's saved you multiple times. You're like a daughter to me, Dorothy." Norman smiled at her. "I care for Roger as well, you know; that doesn't mean I _love_ him. However, it may be different for you because you are a woman."

"Does Roger love Angel?"

"I'm not sure. Why don't you ask him?"

"Do you love Angel?" Dorothy asked immediately when Roger opened his eyes.

"Who?" Roger asked, realizing Dorothy was in her nightgown, sitting at the end of his bed.

"Angel."

"Why are you asking this at 2:18 in the morning, Dorothy?"

"I wish to know first, then I will go back to sleep."

"No, I don't."

"Why?"

"Because-because-Dorothy, why in the world are you still on this topic?"

"I think I love you, Roger." It was the way that she said it that made him blink. She said it as though it was no problem at all. Almost as though it was saying, 'It's very early and there's a bug in my bed'.

"Dorothy, you're being ridiculous and-what are you doing?" Dorothy crawled up to the head of the board and slid in the blankets with him.

"Can I sleep with you tonight?" (A/N: I don't know if she even sleeps, but might as well say so.)

"Yeah," Roger sighed, "sure you can." Dorothy lied beside him for 20 minutes, silent, before speaking again.

"Do you love _me_, Roger?"

"Just drop it already, Dorothy."

"Do you?" he was silent, then turned and propped his elbow up, pressing his cheek against his hand.

"What does it matter? You're only an android, after all." He sighed, closing his eyes briefly. "Yes, Dorothy, I do love you."

"Does that mean that we are going to marry, make love and have children?"

"No, Dorothy." Roger sighed again, resting his head on the pillow.

"But you said that people that are in love want to be physical."

"Yes, but you're an android and that's impossible. Only your skin is human. Your insides are not." Roger closed his eyes, then they flashed open. Roger turned to his side, gazing at Dorothy's lips, curious. "Close your eyes, Dorothy."

"Why?"

"Just close them and you'll find out." Dorothy closed her eyes, before feeling Roger's warm mouth on hers.

Is this what he meant by physical? 

Roger drew away, temporarily mystified.

"Go to sleep now, Roger." Dorothy mumbled, closing her eyes and falling to sleep.

I had found it out by Norman when I went searching for Roger. He had told me that Dorothy and Roger were in love and had gone out somewhere. I didn't understand. How could an android love someone? It was confusing, but I wished them happiness all the same. I had a lilac in my fingers. In a minute, I crushed it, the flower petals falling to the ground. I had kept false hopes. I should have known Roger would choose Dorothy over me...

DIS: Dorothy/Roger romances are harder to write, because Dorothy's an android. She's my favorite character all the same. On the episode 'Hydra' I felt a little bad for Angel when she walking in the rain all alone. I didn't know Dorothy didn't like Angel until that episode. Anyway, please review and hope to hear from you reviewers in my next Big O fic. Ciao.


End file.
